Golden Globes 2020 nominations: 7 talking points, from Robert De Niro’s snub to a lack of Cats

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The Irishman and Marriage Story dominated this afternoon’s Golden Globes nominations, providing us with our most significant prediction of the awards season to come.

Tim Allen, Dakota Fanning and Susan Kelechi Watson were tasked with speeding through the nods during the announcement ceremony in Los Angeles.

Recognition for the likes of Dolemite Is My Name, Unbelievable, Booksmart and Succession was a pleasant surprise, but the nominations did, somewhat inevitably, create some questions.

With major names snubbed, Game of Thrones a non-factor and Cats potentially confirmed as a disaster, the nominations have left us with lots to ponder.

Here are the seven major takeaways from the Globes nominations.

Robert De Niro, Lupita Nyong’o and Adam Sandler have had setbacks

The recent groundswell of support for Nyong’o and Sandler, both of whom did career-best work in Us and Uncut Gems, respectively, didn’t pay off at the Globes. But while it is likely not a fantastic sign about their Oscar chances, neither film is exactly Golden Globes-friendly movies. All hope may not be lost.

The true puzzler, and potentially a grim sign for Oscar night, is the absence of Robert De Niro. The Irishman walked away with five nominations, including Best Supporting Actor his his co-stars Al Pacino and Joe Pesci, so it is curious that the star of the film wasn’t also in the mix.

Cats may be awful

Mystery has surrounded Cats for the last couple of weeks, amid speculation that it may not have been finished in time to screen for voters at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. But according to Variety, it did manage to screen at the last minute, meaning that its lack of major nominations here may be a gloomy indication of its quality.

Cats walked away with a single nomination, for Best Original Song, but was otherwise entirely snubbed – a surprise considering how often the Globes throw nominations at high-profile musicals. It also likely means that Jennifer Hudson’s already heavily-memed performance as Grizabella may not be the secret standout of 2019.

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No love for Little Women, or women in general

Little Women is one of the most eagerly anticipated films of the Christmas season, and has had glowing reviews, so its relative absence from nominations is a bummer. Star Saoirse Ronan received the film’s single acting nod, with Alexander Desplat taking home a nomination for Best Original Score. Florence Pugh, who had emerged in recent weeks as a major Best Supporting Actress contender, was a major snub.

Its absence is also the most notable snub of a number of films and mini-series directed by women this year, with the likes of Lulu Wang (The Farewell), Ava DuVernay (When They See Us), Marielle Heller (A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood) and Lorene Scafaria (Hustlers) also snubbed. The Best Picture categories were similarly noticeably absent of films solely led by female characters, even if they received nominations in other categories. Bombshell, Judy, Harriet, Booksmart, Hustlers and The Farewell all earned love in acting categories, but could not break through elsewhere.

Game of Thrones got massively snubbed

Considering it is somewhat tradition to reward a long-running and culture-shaking TV series with the Best Drama award after their final season, the absence of Game of Thrones here came as a surprise. Albeit a not outrageous surprise, considering the risible response to much of the show’s final season.

But with Kit Harington the show’s sole nomination, it’s a bit of a damp squib for the show to go out on.

The Golden Globes still love the Brits

Whatever fears Netflix may have had about retiring the entire cast of The Crown for its third season, replacing them with the likes of Olivia Colman and Helena Bonham Carter, will have been allayed by the strong showing here for The Crown. Both stars earned nominations, along with actor Tobias Menzies and one nod for Best Drama Series.

America’s love affair with Fleabag also continued, with Andrew Scott’s nomination implying that voters haven’t just been charmed by Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s cheery British ebullience, but actually enjoyed the show she wrote, too.

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Important people have watched The Morning Show

Apple TV+ may not have been enormously satisfied with the tepid response to their flagship drama series The Morning Show, but the Hollywood Foreign Press Association were clearly watching. The new streaming service only launched in November, but can already say they’re responsible for at least one Golden Globe-nominated drama, with the show picking up three nominations – two for stars Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, and one for Best Drama Series.

The Golden Globes remembered Where’d You Go, Bernadette existed

While nominations for Booksmart’s Beanie Feldstein and Knives Out stars Daniel Craig and Ana de Armas were lovely surprises, the inclusion of Cate Blanchett (nominated for Best Actress for Where’d You Go, Bernadette) is slightly baffling. True to form, the Globes prioritised the optics of a famous face at their ceremony rather than the performance itself.

Blanchett is fine in the film, a much-delayed adaptation of the Maria Semple book, but it earned horrible reviews and dismal box office takings upon release in August. It also remains without UK distribution – which may now change in light of its nomination.

The 2020 Golden Globe Awards, presented by Ricky Gervais, will take place on 5 January.

Follow along below to see what happened as the. nominations were announced

Find a full list of nominations here.